ABC's Day of Triumph, Tear-Jerkers

Published 4:00 am, Saturday, January 29, 2000

DIGITIZED VIDEO, quick-cut edits, flash-frame "wipes" and wind-tunnel sound effects have become part of the stock-in-trade of many TV sports productions.

Employed judiciously, each of those items has its place, both stylistically and journalistically. Still, in this multichannel universe, the use of those techniques often comes down to this underlying theme: Keep the viewers entertained.

In that context, consider what ABC Sports executive producer John Filippelli said about his plans to fill the four hours (11 a.m.-3 p.m.) of tomorrow's Super Bowl pregame show.

"These pieces are six-, seven-, eight-minutes long, which can be an eternity in television," Filippelli said. "But, when the piece is done, we don't think the viewers will come close to being bored. We hope they'll feel emotionally fulfilled."

ABC's four-hour pregame show actually is three hours shorter than FOX's last year.

"As these shows have gotten longer, longer and longer, they've become less compelling," Filippelli said. "What the shows lacked is an emotional dimension. I wouldn't criticize what anyone else has done . . . but, those shows didn't resonate emotionally."

Without the extra week of hype prior to this Super Bowl, and given the fact the Rams and Titans are both relatively unknown, Filippelli said the pregame show also must fulfill the mundane task of preparing people for the game.

"We can't take for granted that everyone watching is familiar with these two teams," he said. "It becomes incumbent upon us to keep with the contemporary stories. Also, we have to do entertainment. We have to appeal to the hard-core fan and the casual fan. We have to find a significant balance."

Even casual fans should recognize host Chris Berman's telecast partner, Steve Young. The 49ers' quarterback made his debut as an analyst three weeks ago, during ABC's coverage of the first day of the playoffs. Young had a typically self-deprecating review of his performance.

"The best thing I can say is I guess it didn't look as bad on TV as I thought it sounded," Young said. "I hope I'll be more compelling this time."

NOTES: Prompted by the replay that overturned Bert Emanuel's catch in the final minute of Tampa Bay's loss to the Rams last Sunday, ABC is considering having an NFL official available to the telecast in the event of another unusual ruling. . . . This will be Al Michaels' fourth assignment as the Super Bowl play-by-play announcer. "I enjoy it more than ever," Michaels said. "Of course, I'll be a little bit nervous, but now that I'm something of an old dog, I'm just savoring things more than ever." . . . KNBR (680 AM) and KTCT (1050 AM) each will carry the CBS Radio broadcast, with that pregame coverage beginning at 1 p.m. on KTCT and 2 p.m. on KNBR. Howard David will handle the radio play-by-play with Matt Millen as the analyst. . . . With both Ronnie Lott and Joe Montana expected to be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame today, FOX Sports News will have a piece with Lott interviewing Montana tonight. The program will begin around 10:30, following the Islanders-Sharks telecast.